Julia Montes, Clara on Mara Clara Remake (ABS-CBN, 2010)

Undeniably one of the most unforgettable characters on Philippine television was Gladys Reyes's 'kontrabida' role 'Clara' in Mara Clara which is the 'longest running teleserye in Philippine TV history' (aired for 5 years). For the remake of this 90's TV series hit this 2010 , a young actress has been chosen to play as 'Clara' in the person Julia Montes.

Julia Montes is no newbie in the Philippine entertainment industry. Infact, she has been seen on the gag show, "Going Bulilit" and some TV commercials. She also appeared on hit movies like Sharon Cuneta's "Caregiver."Although, the Mara role in the Mara Clara remake (2010) would have to be her biggest break so far.

REAL NAME: Mara Montes SchnittkaSCREEN NAMES: Mara Montes (YS presents: GIMIK 2010)Julia Montes (Mara Clara Remake)BIRTHDAY: March 19, 1995Julia is half-German. Standing 5’5,” her first exposures on television came via TV commercials when she was between four and five years old she said.

Ever since she could remember, she has been fascinated by people appearing on television. It then became her dream to also be on TV someday and was fortunate enough to be cast in TV commercials. Up to the present, she still occasionally get modeling jobs like the Magnolia TV commercial with Sarah Geronimo. She has also appeared in the ads for Nido, Stick-O, Nestlé Almusal, Delmonte and Jollibee.

She was discovered because of her TV commercials and afterwards she was cast in a number of GMA-7 shows like “Sana Ikaw Na Nga” as the daughter of actors Robin da Rosa and Angelu de Leon and in some episodes of the now defunct drama anthology “Magpakailanman.” Having no exclusivity in her contract with the Kapuso Network, she auditioned for ABS-CBN’s “Hiram” and was accepted. Then she tried out for the children show “Goin’ Bulilit,” got in and soon made a name for herself in the said show.

Her growing acting resumé also include movies like “Bahay Kubo,” “Caregiver” and now the Chito Roño horror flick “T2.”

At the moment, she is under ABS-CBN Star Magic which she believes would do well in her acting career. Unlike other Star Magic discoveries, she had to do it the hard way by auditioning for shows.

She shared that when she showed seriousness about embarking on a showbiz career, the first concern of her family was her studies. Her mom and grandmother asked her if she would have a hard time with her studies and she said no.

Julia, is a student of Blessed Hope Christian School in Pandacan, Manila and she hopes to take up Tourism or Culinary Arts in college, then be a chef or be a flight steward someday. At the moment though, she is geared to be a star and her dedication to her craft makes her a young actress ON THE RISE!

TRIVIAS ABOUT HER PARENTS:

Her mom is deaf and mute

A little trivia about Mara is that her parents are separated. Her German father never communicated with her family since she was born. She is also always with her grandmother since she started in showbiz because her mom is deaf and mute.

Having a lot of new faces popping up here and there in showbiz, what does she think of competition?

“Wala po akong nakikitang competition. All I know is that I always give my best in all the projects that they give me. But I also dream of becoming a big star someday. Ang saya-saya kapag ganun po because a lot of people would idolize you,” she remarked.

Lola's Advice to Julia:Remain humble and always thank God for everything and don’t neglect her studies because that would be her most precious treasure in life.